Recognition of extracellular DNA by type IV pili promotes biofilm formation by Clostridioides difficile. 2022

Leslie A Ronish, and Ben Sidner, and Yafan Yu, and Kurt H Piepenbrink
Department of Biochemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive bacillus, which is a frequent cause of gastrointestinal infections triggered by the depletion of the gut microbiome. Because of the frequent recurrence of these infections after antibiotic treatment, mechanisms of C. difficile persistence and recurrence, including biofilm formation, are of increasing interest. Previously, our group and others found that type IV pili, filamentous helical appendages polymerized from protein subunits, promoted microcolony and biofilm formation in C. difficile. In Gram-negative bacteria, the ability of type IV pili to mediate bacterial self-association has been explained through interactions between the pili of adjacent cells, but type IV pili from several Gram-negative species are also required for natural competence through DNA uptake. Here, we report the ability of two C. difficile pilin subunits, PilJ and PilW, to bind to DNA in vitro, as well as the defects in biofilm formation in the pilJ and pilW gene-interruption mutants. Additionally, we have resolved the X-ray crystal structure of PilW, which we use to model possible structural mechanisms for the formation of C. difficile biofilm through interactions between type IV pili and the DNA of the extracellular matrix. Taken together, our results provide further insight into the relationship between type IV pilus function and biofilm formation in C. difficile and, more broadly, suggest that DNA recognition by type IV pili and related structures may have functional importance beyond DNA uptake for natural competence.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010861 Fimbriae, Bacterial Thin, hairlike appendages, 1 to 20 microns in length and often occurring in large numbers, present on the cells of gram-negative bacteria, particularly Enterobacteriaceae and Neisseria. Unlike flagella, they do not possess motility, but being protein (pilin) in nature, they possess antigenic and hemagglutinating properties. They are of medical importance because some fimbriae mediate the attachment of bacteria to cells via adhesins (ADHESINS, BACTERIAL). Bacterial fimbriae refer to common pili, to be distinguished from the preferred use of "pili", which is confined to sex pili (PILI, SEX). Bacterial Fimbriae,Bacterial Pili,Common Fimbriae,Common Pili,Pili, Bacterial,Pili, Common,Bacterial Fimbria,Bacterial Pilus,Common Fimbria,Common Pilus,Fimbria, Bacterial,Pilus, Bacterial,Fimbria, Common,Fimbriae, Common,Pilus, Common
D004247 DNA A deoxyribonucleotide polymer that is the primary genetic material of all cells. Eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms normally contain DNA in a double-stranded state, yet several important biological processes transiently involve single-stranded regions. DNA, which consists of a polysugar-phosphate backbone possessing projections of purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine), forms a double helix that is held together by hydrogen bonds between these purines and pyrimidines (adenine to thymine and guanine to cytosine). DNA, Double-Stranded,Deoxyribonucleic Acid,ds-DNA,DNA, Double Stranded,Double-Stranded DNA,ds DNA
D016360 Clostridioides difficile A common inhabitant of the colon flora in human infants and sometimes in adults. The type species Clostridioides difficile is formerly known as Clostridium difficile. It is a causative agent for CLOSTRIDIOIDES INFECTIONS and is associated with PSEUDOMEMBRANOUS ENTEROCOLITIS in patients receiving antibiotic therapy. Clostridium difficile
D018441 Biofilms Encrustations formed from microbes (bacteria, algae, fungi, plankton, or protozoa) embedded in an EXTRACELLULAR POLYMERIC SUBSTANCE MATRIX that is secreted by the microbes. They occur on body surfaces such as teeth (DENTAL DEPOSITS); inanimate objects, and bodies of water. Biofilms are prevented from forming by treating surfaces with DENTIFRICES; DISINFECTANTS; ANTI-INFECTIVE AGENTS; and anti-fouling agents. Biofilm

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